Humanity at Stake (Completed)

Chapter 47

"It's clear that someone's gotta go
We mean it, but I promise we're not mean
...They lose their minds for us, and how it plays out
Now we're in the ring and we're coming for blood." -"Glory and Gore" by Lorde

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"How many times have you been here and you still don't know where the headquarters is?" Tony asked in irritation towards Christopher. The boy scoffed, sending her a glare.

"I had better things to do. My first time here I was too focused on what everything looked like to realize where I was going," he said vaguely, but they all knew he was talking about visiting his son. Nova sighed as she looked around. Pax and Leon were huddled behind the stopped group, giggling back and forth as they quietly talked about whatever topic they were on. Ridge was quiet, standing by himself as he surveyed the crowd.

"Let's ask someone," Nova purposed, moving away from the group to chat up a nice looking lady nearby.

"That won't work," Christopher answered, his voice easing to catch Nova's attention as she walked away. She heard him, choosing to ignore his words as she approached the woman.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" she called out, touching the lady's shoulder lightly. She whirled around quickly, her lip curling into a snarl.

"Don't even try, thief! I know what you're trying, and it won't work. I'd back away before I put my fist to your face." Nova leaped backwards, her hand stilling in the air as her face showed pure shock. The woman looked her up and down, a snort coming from her mouth as she turned around. Leon jogged up to her grabbing Nova and pulling her away.

"She just... but I...?" Nova spoke brokenly in a dumbfounded tone as she pointed her finger between herself and the woman.

"Maybe you needed more force," Tony started off, taking her hand to tug the hood off her head and reveal the blade of her scythe. Christopher jolted forward, grabbing her hand to stop her.

"Do that, and you'll be lucky if the guards escort you out of the city walls," he warned her lowly as he glanced around to see the other people. "Its best we do this by ourselves. Most don't trust and keep to themselves."

"What do you expect us to do? Wander around and hope for the best?" Tony seethed at him. Christopher's eyes narrowed into a glare as he stared at her.

"Yes, I do," he bit back in a similarly menacing tone. Tony stared at him for a bit before huffing and looking away. Christopher took that as a sign of submission, letting go of her hand as he turned around. "We'll continue this way."

They continued behind him, falling quietly into line as they stalked through the streets. They gained little attention, which was surprising for Nova.

"Isn't it weird that they aren't watching us like we might be suspicious thugs or something?" Nova whispered to Leon as her eyes darted around warily. Leon shook his head.

"If you look closer, we're on what I could assume is the poorer, crime side of town. You see more people in rags on the streets. Rodents running amuck. The buildings are less kept up. It's more rundown than the side of town that we followed Christopher to." Nova watched her surroundings more closely, noticing the changes that Leon pointed out.

A certain stench seemed to permeate the air. The roads were closer together, seeming sticky and dirty. People huddled in tattered clothing in alleyways. The buildings seemed less inviting.

"Why would Christopher take us here? I find it hard to believe the Resistance headquarters would be in the rundown part of town." Leon only shrugged his shoulders in response.

As they continued their trek through the slums, the buildings lost their gloomy look. The streets started to widen out and the homeless became less frequent. They passed through a large doorway in a wall, the sign on the overhanging arch greeting them to another part of the city.

"The actually have guards stationed on inner city walls?" Pax asked as they passed under the arch. The guards eyes followed after them, watching their every move.

"It's for the protection of the richer. Not only does it keep out thieves and separates the caste system, but if an attack or uprising were to happen, they can close sections of the city off," Christopher explained. "This is the lower-middle class area. They're the hard workers of the system," he finished off, bringing a bit more knowledge to his comrades.

Nova's mouth formed an understanding 'o' as they made their way through the neighborhood. It was a bit more friendlier looking there. Children ran around in the streets, and people picked at gardens. She still couldn't help but notice the buildings still looked different than the ones around the house where Christopher's son resided.

"You talk about a caste system... what part of the system is Orin staying in?" Nova inquired softly, hoping the tone would keep Christopher from becoming angry.

"They're in the upper-middle class. It was the best I could make the Resistance give them. I wanted them well off. Both of our families were never that way, and they deserved a change in life after so much. That was what I could get them," he explained, but kept mostly vague. Nova didn't press further, shooting Tony a look when the girl looked like she would question him more.

The group fell into silence again. They were nearing the end of the lower-middle class when Tony stopped. The rest of them stopped, a flicker of annoyance crossing Christopher's face.

"What now?" he demanded, following her gaze. The rest of them followed, finding a sign over a doorway that read 'Jobs'. Tony strolled towards the door, not saying a word as she did so.

"We're not here to get jobs!" Ridge called after her, earning a nod of agreement from Christopher. Tony ignored the jab towards her, stepping into the building and disappearing from sight.

She soon came out with a piece of paper. On it was a map of the town. A trail from where we were at coming to the end of a circle a ways away.

"How did you find the headquarters map!?" Pax exclaimed, peering over Nova's shoulder to see the paper. Tony looked up at them like they were so dense as to not know.

"I figured we may not be looking for a job, but someone else might be. I just went in and asked where I could find the Resistance Headquarters because I was looking for a job. Let's get going, the sun is setting.we need to turn right after this wall," Tony commanded her finger pointing through the gate. She sent a smirk over her should at Christopher as she took the leading position.